Jalen Hurts may have another new offensive coordinator, but the Eagles QB will stand on his own feet

Jalen Hurts got up from sitting behind a podium and stood on stage in the auditorium at the NovaCare Complex. He had just granted another question after his news conference, but before answering, the Eagles quarterback mentioned something off the cuff.

“I’d actually rather stand up,” Hurts said. “I was thinking about that this morning.”

He then proceeded to put into perspective how winning his first Super Bowl and being named the game’s MVP had altered demands for him off the field.

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“It’s just maturity. It’s growth and development,” Hurts said Tuesday. “You’re always in a place where you’re trying to improve and find that 1%. I think it’s unique to experience all the coaches I have — the [the offensive coordinators], the offensive leadership in the quarterback room — all those things have been positives for me because I’ve turned it into a positive.

“I’m able to lean on so many different things and decide when do I need it when it comes to going out there and performing and leading. And so, in terms of demand, obviously supporting great causes we have — Eagles Autism, and different outings, and media and fans and stuff like that.

“But the main thing is the main thing.”

In other words, not much has changed because — as his “main thing” mantra indicated — Hurts hasn’t. He may now be a champion. He may have gotten married in the offseason. He may have more obligations away from football. Heck, he may even do his news conferences while standing.

But Hurts isn’t easily distracted. And even if near-annual coaching turnover has hindered his development before — including at times last season with Kellen Moore — his performance in the two most important games showed that he eventually would thrive in a new system with a new play caller.

It just took some time, if not a defensive focus on stopping running back Saquon Barkley. But Moore is off to the New Orleans Saints as head coach, along with quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier, and Hurts will have to adapt to yet another change with passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo promoted in Moore’s place.

“I don’t notice any difference, whether it was Kellen being the coordinator, Brian [Johnson], Shane [Steichen], or Kevin,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said when asked how Hurts has handled another coordinator change. “I see the same process he goes through, which is what makes Jalen special.”

A year ago, Moore brought new terminology with him. Hurts estimated that 95% of the offense was new, although others downplayed the changes. Nevertheless, his perception spoke to how he viewed his undertaking. Few stood in his shoes.

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With Patullo, the Eagles are expected to maintain much of Moore’s offense and verbiage. But in truth, the final product was never very close to previous iterations of his scheme. He brought new elements to the passing game and to how it married with the ground game.

But the offense reverted to more of what Hurts was comfortable doing when it was decided after a 2-2 start to emphasize Barkley and the running game. And that meant reinstalling some of the Sirianni-Steichen scheme that supposedly had gotten stale in 2023.

Patullo will bring his own thoughts to the table. Hurts said there are “some nuances.” Sirianni brought Patullo to Philadelphia in the first place to help with the run-pass option game. But as Hurts enters his fifth season as the starter, it’s essentially his offense more than anyone’s, even if Barkley, receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and others, also factor into design.

And Patullo should understand that.

“He has a very good feel of what they do and what they do well,” Sirianni said. “And so you always want to do what they do best. You always want to keep things in that you’ve done well and you want to continue to grow and dress up a little bit. And then also some new wrinkles that kind of mesh to that.

“And then you have some new things that might be brand new.”

Before the 2023 season, Sirianni had said during an interview with The Inquirer that he wanted to double down on the parts of the offense that had gotten the Eagles to Super Bowl LVII. It seemed as if he hadn’t focused enough on getting ahead of defenses that had spent all offseason devising ways to stop a potent unit.

There were many variables for the offensive regression that season. But there will be a similar challenge two years later. And the likely No. 1 focus of defensive coordinators on the Eagles’ slate will be limiting Barkley’s production.

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Hurts and the passing offense rose to the occasion when the Kansas City Chiefs bottled up the 2,000-yard running back in the Super Bowl. But for chunks of the season, the air attack sputtered and prompted Brown to sound the alarm, specifically in early December.

He ultimately was proven right — the Eagles couldn’t win a title without their “A” passing game. But Brown wasn’t taking any stands about the future with the offseason still in its infancy.

“I can’t predict how the offense will look next year, but I do know we need to evolve … as an offense,” he said. “And I think that’s a question for K.P., honestly. For me, my job is just to focus on whenever I get those opportunities, to make the most of them.

“That’s my box, the box I’m going to stay in.”

The offense may have a new coordinator, but the Eagles still have an embarrassment of riches. They return every starter aside from right guard Mekhi Becton. They have Pro Bowl-caliber talent at almost every spot, from skill position to offensive line.

They return key position coaches at offensive line (Jeff Stoutland), receiver (Aaron Moorehead), running back (Jemal Singleton), and tight end (Jason Michael). But there will be a period of adjustment with a new assistant at quarterback (Scot Loeffler) and a new passing game coordinator (Parks Frazier).

“He’s made it very clear he’s here to enhance my game and serve, be a point of service in the room,” Hurts said of Loeffler. “He’s very knowledgeable. And I always value someone who can bring new ideas, new point of views, new perspectives to the table, because ultimately I can put it in my toolbox and lean on it when I need to.

“I think it’s been great communication thus far.”

Loeffler and Frazier will bring fresh ideas to the Eagles’ ever-evolving offense. But Patullo & Co. likely will avoid being dogmatic. Being multiple and adaptable will be key because offenses need to be organic. And the same could be said for how Hurts approaches his job.

“You have to be able to decode, detect, and then correct and refine the things you need to refine,” Hurts said. “The more important thing is being able to detect what I can improve on and how important it is to improve in that. We can all work hard on something, but not necessarily be working hard on the right things.

“We were able to evolve and add a different dynamic, obviously, with having [Barkley] back there and what he’s able to do, and just kind of complement him in the backfield. And then [have] the ability to pass the ball and be efficient when we do that.

“And right now it’s just laying the foundation, trying to figure out what this iteration of the team will be.”

On Tuesday, it was exactly 100 days since the Eagles beat the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. In February, a few days after the game, Hurts said he hadn’t yet processed all that he had accomplished as he stood at his locker stall.

Asked for an update, after the parade down Broad Street, national television appearances, being named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world, attending the Met Gala, tying the knot with longtime girlfriend Bryonna Burrows, Hurts didn’t look back.

“We’re here … talking about the 2025-26 season,” Hurts said.

It starts in 106 days.

Hurts may still be Hurts, but it’s time to stand on new feet.